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More than 65 missing, six dead after huge Karachi blaze

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told reporters at the scene that 65 people were still missing.

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Firefighters in Karachi searched on Sunday for more than 65 missing people after a massive fire tore through a shopping mall in the historic downtown district, killing six and reducing parts of the building to rubble, Reuters reported.

Videos showed flames rising from the building as firefighters laboured through the night to stop the blaze, which started on Saturday night, from spreading in the dense business district. After fighting the flames for over 24 hours, firefighters began cooling the steaming rubble of the nearly collapsed structure.

Firefighters told Pakistan’s local television station Geo News that the lack of ventilation in the mall, which houses over 1,200 shops, caused the building to fill with smoke and slowed rescue efforts.

“It appears to have been caused by a circuit breaker,” Sindh police chief Javed Alam Odho told reporters at the site, according to Dawn News.

“The layout and construction of this market was such, and secondly, the nature of the items in it — such as carpets, blankets and other objects made of resins — so the fire is still simmering because of these.”

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told reporters at the scene that 65 people were still missing.

Rescue officials said six people had been killed and 20 others were wounded, read the report.

According to media reports, people chanted slogans criticising the mayor who came to the site after 23 hours.

Hundreds of people had gathered around the building, including distraught store owners whose businesses had turned to ash.

“We’ve been left high and dry, reduced to zero; 20 years of hard work, all gone,” shopowner Yasmeen Bano said.

The fire erupted on Saturday night, with rescue services receiving a call at 10:38 p.m. (1738 GMT) reporting that ground-floor shops at the multi-storey Gul Plaza shopping centre were ablaze.

“When we arrived, the fire from the ground floor had spread to the upper floors, and almost the entire building was already engulfed in flames,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassanul Haseeb Khan told Reuters.

Images of the mall’s interior revealed the charred remains of stores and a bright orange glow as flames continued to rise throughout the building.

By Sunday evening, the blackened and broken metal frame of the building was strewn on the street alongside fallen air conditioners and some store signboards, Reuters reported.

Rescue workers said that parts of the building had started to collapse and that the whole structure could come down.

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Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran’s neighbors must close all U.S. bases

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Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new leader, said on Thursday that Iran’s neighbors must close all U.S. bases on their territory, as Tehran will continue its attacks against them.

In his first statement, broadcast and read out by state television, Khamenei told the Iranian people: “I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging ‌the blood of your martyrs.”

He added: “The popular demand is to continue our effective defence and make the enemy regret! The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used.”

However, state television did not explain why Khamenei’s first remarks were read by a presenter rather than delivered in a video.

No images of him have yet been released since the strike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei.

In these remarks, Mojtaba Khamenei also confirmed that his wife, sister, and other family members were killed.

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Up to 3.2 million displaced inside Iran as conflict escalates, UNHCR says

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the conflict that erupted on February 28, warning that the humanitarian situation is rapidly worsening.

In a statement released Thursday, the UN refugee agency said the figure is based on preliminary assessments of uprooted households and could rise further if hostilities continue.

“This number is likely to increase as fighting persists, signaling a troubling escalation in humanitarian needs,” UNHCR said.

The agency noted that many of the displaced have fled their homes in search of safety, often moving to nearby provinces or staying with relatives and host communities. Others have sought temporary shelter in public buildings and informal settlements, placing additional pressure on local resources.

Humanitarian organizations say the sudden movement of millions of people is creating urgent needs for shelter, food, medical care and basic services. Aid agencies are working with local authorities to assess conditions and deliver assistance to affected communities.

The displacement crisis comes amid broader regional instability that has raised concerns among international organizations about the potential for further population movements both inside Iran and across borders.

UNHCR said it is continuing to monitor developments closely and is coordinating with humanitarian partners to scale up assistance as the situation evolves.

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Trump on Iran: We won, but don’t want to leave early

Trump has seesawed ​on Iran, crediting the U.S. military for significantly ‌degrading ⁠Iran’s military but resisting a speedy end to the conflict.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on ‌Wednesday that “we won” the Iran war but that the United States will stay in ​the fight to finish the ​job.

“You never like to say too ⁠early you won. We won,” ​Trump told a campaign-style rally in Hebron, Kentucky. “In ​the first hour it was over.”

He said the United States had knocked out 58 ​Iranian naval ships.

Trump has seesawed ​on Iran, crediting the U.S. military for significantly ‌degrading ⁠Iran’s military but resisting a speedy end to the conflict.

“We don’t want to leave early do we?” Trump ​said. “We ​got to ⁠finish the job.”

He said the United States has “virtually destroyed ​Iran.” He seemed to signal that ​the ⁠United States would continue the fight for now.

“We don’t want to go ⁠back ​every two years,” he ​said.

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